2009 Nissan Maxima
by Jim Prueter -07/2009

Lots to like with redesigned Maxima

One thing you can say about the newly redesigned 2009 Nissan Maxima is that it’s trying hard. I’m just not sure what it’s trying hard to be: a near luxury sedan or what Nissan is calling it, “The four-door sports car.”

The seventh-generation Maxima definitely has improved by becoming both more luxurious and more sporting and is overall an exceptionally nice car with few flaws.

For starters, Nissan has done something almost unheard of in the world of automobile manufacturing. They’ve actually made the Maxima smaller than the previous generation by reducing the overall length by nearly four inches and the wheelbase by about three inches. Nissan did this by building the new Maxima on the smaller Altima platform that also underpins the Murano crossover. With Maxima, though, the chassis has been stiffened to give its sporty handling.

But even at a reduced size, Maxima, with a near 3600-pound curb weight, is no lightweight. This is evident as the front-wheel drive sedan plows through corners.

Most noticeably, the new Maxima has dumped the frumpy looking sheet metal of the previous model and now sports sharper lines. The front-end design is terrific, with hints of Infiniti’s FX model. Behind the wheel, the sporty side of Maxima evidences itself with visual bulges for the hood and fenders. You feel a similar effect sitting at the wheel of a Corvette.

The fenders bulge, suggesting a muscular look. There’s a small spoiler on the trunk lid, and large LED tail lamps wrap around to the corner of the car. Dual exhaust pipes add to the sporty look.

Inside, improvements abound. It is very Infiniti-esque, except for the unfortunate Altima-like gauges and absent analog clock. All operating buttons and knobs are well placed, intuitive and easy to find. Although, the dash lights are too bright and can’t be dimmed enough before going off completely.

While I’m griping, the heavily bolstered front bucket seats are the most uncomfortable we’ve sat in since the BMW X3. These seats pinched my rear and it felt like I was sitting on a couple of steel cables. I was testing a Toyota Venza at the same time I had the Maxima, and so painful were the seats, that I chose to drive the Venza on every trip unless it was a short hop.

I did like the iPod integration, which was the best I’ve seen in any vehicle at any price. When you plug an iPod into USB port at the center console bin, you can operate it via the multipurpose knob and LCD screen that mimics the iPod’s actual controls. Redundant operation can also be used with controls on the steering wheel. Dash, doors, center console are all covered in top quality soft-touch materials. And, we liked the subtle red stitching on our black leather seats.

Under the hood is Nissan’s ubiquitous and excellent 3.5-liter V-6 with 290 horsepower, up from 255 last year and mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). We’ve never been fans of CVTs, but Nissan does it better than anybody and it will now hold more power under full acceleration for sporty driving. There are also paddle shifters behind the steering wheel in a modest attempt to convince the driver that the Maxima can perform like a six-speed manual shifter.

Maxima always suffered from severe torque-steer (that heavy pull to the right when steering under full throttle), and unfortunately it’s still there for 2009. Why can other manufacturers get this right while Nissan can’t? The even bigger question is, why wasn’t Maxima built on Infiniti’s rear-drive G37 platform?

There are two versions of this car: the base Maxima S with a starting price of $30,160, with cloth seats, power sliding moonroof, push button ignition and dual zone automatic temperature control; and the SV $32,860 that adds things like leather-appointed seats, BoseÒ audio system, fog lights, outside mirrors with LED turn signals and HomeLinkÒ Universal Transceiver.

Standard safety features include frontal, side-impact and curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction and stability control and tire pressure monitoring. The 2009 Maxima earned the highest possible crash test ratings from both the U.S. government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Other than the front seats, which render the Maxima a deal breaker for me, there is much to applaud and few flaws here. We love the way this car drives and even didn’t mind the improved CVT. But given the price, there’s a bit of soul-searching to do here and cause to wonder why in the world would you opt for the Maxima when you can own a much better Infiniti G37 with more features, horsepower and rear-wheel drive for about the same price?